July 2022

1965 ended with The Beatles throwing down the gauntlet with the ‘Rubber Soul’ LP. The musical Cold War between The Beatles and the Beach Boys was on !

Bob Dylan had released ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ which would be a very tough act to follow, while The Who had debuted on LP with ‘My Generation’.

Ravi Shankar issued his ‘Sound of the Sitar’ LP, an instrument that George Harrison would use on ‘Rubber Soul’, and would be heard on several big hits over the next two years.

Some of the early 60s beat bands were fading away while garage bands were on the rise. Meanwhile London was swinging, and the UK was getting ready for the World Cup

Please note, most dates are from Wikipedia so there may be some errors. Also, some LPs were only issued in the States, while UK and US release dates varied; I have usually given the UK date. This is a selective discography, showcasing just some of the amazing music of 1966.

January

1st Paul Jones ‘My Way’ LP

7th ‘Sonny Boy Williamson and the Yardbirds’. Live recording from December 1963, featuring Eric Clapton.

7th Spencer Davis Group ‘The Second Album’ LP

14th London-born singer David Jones changes his name to David Bowie. Bowie would release four singles in 1966 but none entered either the UK or US charts.

17th Simon & Garfunkel ‘Sound of Silence’ LP

21st Them ‘Them Again’ LP, featuring Van Morrison on vocals, but the LP failed to chart.

31st Tony Bennett ‘Movie Song Album’ LP

February

4th Rolling Stones ’19th Nervous Breakdown’ single

9th Death of Blues singer Sophie Tucker

11th The Animals ‘Inside-Looking Out’ single

14th Bob Dylan ‘One of us Must Know’ single. Reached 33 in the UK, but didn’t crack the Billboard 100 in the US.

18th The Hollies ‘I Can’t Let Go’ single

19th The Lovin’ Spoonful ‘Daydream’ single

21st Cher ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)’ single

25th The Kinks ‘Dedicated Follower of Fashion’ single

25th The Yardbirds ‘Shapes of things’ single. Some critics have labelled this as the first psychedelic rock song.

28th The Mamas and the Papas ‘If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears’ LP

March

1st Elvis ‘Frankie and Johnny’ soundtrack LP

4th The Who ‘Substitute’ single

4th The Beatles ‘Yesterday’ EP

4th John Lennon quoted in the London Evening Standard saying that the Beatles were “More popular than Jesus.” This causes protests and record burnings, especially in the Bible belt of the USA

7th The Who ‘A Legal Matter’ single. Issued by Shel Talmy (producer) without the band’s permission.

8th Crispian St. Peters ‘the Pied Piper’ single. Peters also covered the Phil Ochs song ‘Changes’ but it failed to chart.

14th The Byrds ‘Eight Miles High’ single. Record is widely banned due to perceived drug references.

15th Nancy Sinatra ‘Boots’ LP

25th Dusty Springfield ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ single

28th Cher ‘The Sonny Side of Cher’ LP

March

The Mamas and the Papas ‘Monday, Monday’ single

Percy Sledge ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ single

The Fugs ‘The Fugs’ LP

Love ‘Love’ LP

The Lovin’ Spoonful’ Daydream LP

The Monks ‘Black Monk Time’ LP

Phil Ochs ‘In Concert’ LP

April

1st Sam & Dave ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ LP

7th Manfred Mann ‘Machines’ EP

15th Manfred Mann ‘Pretty Flamingo’ single

15th The Beach Boys ‘Sloop John B’ single (March 21st in USA)

15th Rolling Stones ‘Aftermath’ LP (2nd July in USA)

22nd The Troggs ‘Wild Thing’ single

April

James Brown ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ single

Bob Dylan ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’ single

The Seeds ‘The Seeds’ LP

Otis Redding ‘The Soul Album’ LP

May

3rd The Temptations ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ single

4th Stevie Wonder ‘Uptight’ LP

6th Small Faces ‘Small Faces’ LP

7th Rolling Stones ‘Paint it Black’ single

13th the Animals ‘Animalisms’ LP

21st The Animals ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ single

27th The Yardbirds ‘Over Under Sideways’ single

30th The Beatles ‘Paperback Writer / Rain’ single

May

Dave Clark Five ‘Look Before You Leap’ single. Only reaches number #50 in the UK charts.

Simon & Garfunkel ‘I Am A Rock’ single

Frank Sinatra ‘Strangers in the Night’ single

‘When The Boys Meet The Girls’ soundtrack LP. The first film starring Herman’s Hermits. The LP is an eclectic mix, featuring the British band alongside Connie Francis, Liberace & Louis Armstrong

June

3rd The Kinks ‘Sunny Afternoon’ single

3rd Jimmy Ruffin ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted’ single

3rd Manfred Mann ‘Instrumental Asylum’ EP

10th Elvis ‘Paradise, Hawaiian Style’ soundtrack LP

15th The Beatles ‘Yesterday and Today’ LP (US only)

Beatles producer George Martin stated that his first disagreement with the band was over this LP cover. Capital Records recalled the sleeve which today is a valuable collector’s item.

17th The Hollies ‘Bus Stop’ single

17th Death of Jazz musician Johnny St. Cyr

20th Bob Dylan ‘I Want You’ single

20th Bob Dylan ‘Blonde on Blonde’ double LP

27th The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds’ LP (May 16th in USA). The LP peaked at number 2 in the UK, but only reached 10 in the USA

27th Mothers of Invention ‘Freak Out’ LP

June

The Count Five ‘Psychotic Reaction’ single

Bobby Hebb ‘Sunny’ single

‘What’s Shakin” compilation LP featuring The Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Butterfield and Powerhouse, a supergroup comprising Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce & Steve Winwood.

July

1st Donovan ‘Sunshine Superman’ single

1st The Hollies ‘Would You Believe ?’ LP

4th The Lovin’ Spoonful ‘Summer in the City’ single

8th The Beatles ‘Nowhere Man’ EP

11th Cher ‘Alfie’ single

15th The Kinks ‘Dedicated Kinks’ EP

15th The Yardbirds ‘Yardbirds’ LP, more commonly known as ‘Roger the Engineer’

18th The Byrds ‘Fifth Dimension’ LP

18th The Beach Boys ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’ / ‘God Only Knows’ single.

Paul McCartney proclaims ‘God Only Knows’ “The greatest song ever written.”

22nd John Mayall ‘Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton’ LP

25th The Supremes ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ single

25 The Troggs ‘From Nowhere’ LP

29th Manfred Mann ‘Just Like A Woman’ single

30th World Cup Final. England beat West Germany 4 – 2 after extra time.

31st Death of Jazz pianist Bud Powell

July

Lee Dorsey ‘Working in the Coal Mine’ single

The Left Banke ‘Walk Away Renée’ single

Wilson Pickett ‘Land of a Thousand Dances’ single

The Troggs ‘With a Girl Like You’ single

The Butterfield Blues Band ‘East – West’ LP

Tim Hardin ‘Tim Hardin 1’ LP

Paul Jones leaves Manfred Mann for a solo career, and is replaced by Mike d’Abo

August

5th The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby’ single

5th Small Faces ‘All or Nothing’ single

5th The Beatles ‘Revolver’ LP

12th The Who ‘The Kids are Alright’ single. This iconic track didn’t even enter the UK Top 40.

15th Jefferson Airplane ‘Jefferson Airplane Takes Off’ LP with original singer Signe Toly Anderson, and Skip Spence on drums

16th The Monkees ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ single

18th Bob Dylan ‘Just Like a Woman’ single (US only)

18th The Four Tops ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ single

26th The Who ‘I’m a Boy’ single

26th Spencer Davis Group ‘Autumn ’66’ LP

26th The Walker Brothers ‘Portrait’ LP

29th The Beatles play their last ever public concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

August

? and the Mysterians ’96 Tears’ single

September

6th The Byrds ‘Mr Spaceman’ single

12th The Mamas and the Papas ‘The Mamas and the Papas’ LP

23rd Rolling Stones ‘Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby’ single

September

Ike & Tina Turner ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ LP

The Incredible String Band ‘The Incredible String Band’ LP

Autumn

John Lennon begins filming How I Won the War

October

7th The Hollies ‘Stop Stop Stop’ single

7th Death of Johnny Kidd

10th The Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ single

10th The Seekers ‘Georgy Girl’ single

10th The Monkees ‘The Monkees’ LP

12th Supremes ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ single

21st Manfred Mann ‘Semi-Detached Suburban Mr Jones single

21st The Yardbirds ‘Happenings Ten Years Time Ago’ single. One of the few Yardbird tracks to feature both Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page.

21st Manfred Mann ‘As Is’ LP

22nd Simon & Garfunkel ‘A Hazy Shade of Winter’ single

24th Simon & Garfunkel ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme’ LP

28th The Kinks ‘Face to Face’ LP

31st Elvis ‘Spinout’ soundtrack LP

October

Bobby Darin ‘If I Were A Carpenter’ single

Tim Buckley ‘Tim Buckley’ LP featuring Lee Underwood, Van Dyke Parks & Jack Nietzsche

The Deep ‘Psychedelic Moods’ LP

Herman’s Hermits ‘Both Sides of Herman’s Hermits’ LP

John Lee Hooker ‘The Real Folk Blues’ LP

13th Floor Elevators ‘The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators’ LP

November

2nd Death of Bluesman Mississippi John Hurt

10th Los Bravos ‘Black is Black’ LP, featuring the hit single by this Spanish band fronted by a German singer.

11th The Who ‘La-La-La-Lies’ single. Another track released by producer Shel Talmy without permission.

12th The Monkees ‘I’m a Believer’ single

16th Martha and the Vandellas ‘Watchout !’ LP

16th Smokey Robinson & The Miracles ‘Away We a Go-Go’ LP

18th The Kinks ‘Dead End Street’ single

21st Joan Baez ‘Noël’ Christmas LP

28th Tages ‘Extra Extra’ LP a beat group from Sweden

November

The Bee Gees ‘Spicks and Specks’ LP

James Brown ‘Handful of Soul’ LP

Love ‘Da Capo’ LP

The Lovin’ Spoonful ‘Hums of The Lovin’ Spoonful’ LP

Booker T & The MGs ‘And Now!’ LP featured one single ‘Sweet Potato’ which was nowhere near as successful as ‘Green Onions.’

December

3rd The Who ‘Happy Jack’ single

5th Buffalo Springfield ‘Buffalo Springfield’ LP. Future pressing replaced an LP track with the ‘For What it’s Worth’ single.

9th The Hollies ‘For Certain Because’ LP

9th The Who ‘A Quick One’ LP

9th Cream ‘Fresh Cream’ LP

10th The Beatles ‘A Collection of Beatles Oldies’ compilation LP

18th The Family Way film released, music by Paul McCartney, the first solo Beatles recording.

26th ‘Not Only, But Also’ TV comedy Christmas Special aired on the BBC, featuring John Lennon

December

The Left Banke ‘Pretty Ballerina’ single

‘After the Fox’ film released. The Hollies released a single of the title track in August but it failed to chart.

December Eric Burdon of the Animals, releases his first solo single ‘Help Me Girl’. His first LP in 1967 is credited to Eric Burdon and the Animals.

December Gerry and the Pacemakers ‘Girl on a Swing’ LP. Fails to chart in either UK or USA

In Jazz:

Wes Montgomery released ‘Tequila’ & ‘California Dreaming’

Miles Davies released the live ‘Four & More’ LP and Lee Morgan issued the ‘Charisma’ LP.

In Free Jazz, Ornette Coleman had two LPs, ‘Chappaqua Suite’ and ‘The Empty Foxhole’.

John Coltrane released ‘Ascension’ and ‘Meditations’

In Folk and Country:

Bob Lind, whose songs have been covered by Glenn Campbell, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, and Eric Clapton among others, released ‘The Elusive Bob Lind’. Glen Campbell issued ‘The 12 String Guitar’ LP.

Waylon Jennings issued 3 LPs including ‘Folk-Country’ while Johnny Cash released 2, including ‘Happiness is You’.

In Blues:

B.B. King released ‘Confessin’ the Blues’, Muddy Waters issued ‘Muddy, Brass & the Blues’ & Lightning Hopkins had ‘Lightnin’ Strikes’.

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